The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating a portion enclosed with intermittent notches or cuts from a sheet to which intermittent notches are formed by a label punching machine such as platen punching machine.
In the prior art of this field, when it is required to punch out labels from a label original having a surface on which prints are intermittently printed, the label original is set between a punching blade plate and a receiver plate of a punching machine and the punching blade plate is then pressed against the receiver plate to thereby form intermittent notches so as to enclose the respective labels on the label original on which the prints are intermittently printed. The label originals, each provided with the intermittent notches or cuts, are formed in plural numbers in such a method and in the next step, these plural label originals, on each of which the intermittent notches are formed and which is taken out from the punching machine, are laminated. The laminated label originals are then subjected to the punching operation by a manual working such as utilizing a hammer or by a mechanical pressing apparatus provided with a pressing plate disposed at portions corresponding to the labels, and the labels are finally punched out from the label originals by using the punching machine.
In such a conventional method, in order to separate the labels from the label originals, it is necessary to prepare a laminating device for laminating the label originals effected with the notch forming working by the punching machine and taken out therefrom and a manual or mechanical pressing device for pressing the labels to punch the same out from the laminated label originals. Accordingly, two independent steps such as label original laminating step and label pressing, i.e., separating step are required.
In these steps, in the case of a plurality of label originals having the labels or label portions having substantially the same size, shape, arrangement and like, it may be possible to perform these two independent steps by arranging the pressing device provided with the pressing plate having a size, for example, corresponding to the label portions, adjacently to the laminated label originals. However, in the other case of a plurality of label originals having the labels or label portions having different sizes, shapes, arrangements and the like, it will be necessary to perform the independent and separate laminating step for laminating groups of the label originals provided with the labels or label portions having the same size, shape and arrangement for the respective label originals and also necessary to change the pressing plates in accordance with the respective groups of the laminated label originals. Thus, these two steps cannot be continuously performed, thus being troublesome and inconvenient.